The MindStore - Travel

Julie Jordan Scott

Picture Summer weekends and vacations as a collection of opportunities for personal growth, creativity and flat out fun. A time of refreshment. Summer allows us to explore our surroundings differently.

Your Summer is like a Passport. A portal to new discoveries.

Start your expedition today!

1. Visit a farm. Spend a day or a portion of the day reveling in this experience even if you live in a rural community.

2. On the other side of the coin, take an urban getaway. Visit the city nearest your home and act as if you have NEVER been there. Experience it as an enlightened tourist.

3. Become a part of a work crew for Habitat for Humanity or another voluntary organization. Sometimes there is nothing more glorious than giving fully from the heart in a spirit of service.

4. Take a Silent Retreat. Attend one at a Monastery or Spiritual Setting of a particular denomination or belief background or create a context within a Sacred Space of your own design.

5. Go on a Historical Marker Treasure Hunt. There are actually books that compile the historical markers in each state and county. Get your hands on one and go on your hunt!

6. Take a "Theme" Museum Weekend. In large cities, there will be several art museums, several ethnic museums, several science museums. Or you may choose to visit two museums which celebrate distinctively different paths: For example, spend the morning at the Science Museum and the afternoon at the Art Museum. Celebrate and examine the differences.

7. Celebrate Sports! Use a weekend to go to a soccer, cricket, golf, tennis or baseball game (or two or three). You may add to the experience by reading a novel about that sport or watching a movie where the context for the story is your particular sport. Name your sport or sport(s) and GO!

8. Climb your family tree! Make it a point to visit with some relatives you have not visited for over a year or more. Break into pairs and "interview" each other to get "the scoop" on your current lives. Then get back together and retell the stories to the larger group. Celebrate past memories and create some new ones at the same time.

9. Another asset to investigate is a near by the State or Federal parks (or your country's equivalent). These are specifically set aside for us to enjoy and explore. Call ahead and see if they have any special events planned. What will you discover?

10. A local venue to explore is your Parks and Recreation Department. This summer here in Bakersfield there are Concerts being held in parks on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Tuesdays and Thursdays showcase all sorts of music from Celtic, Jazz, Reggae and more. On Sundays the Municipal Band plays. There are also movie nights, classes and the everpresent swimming lessons. Make the calls! Attend the events!

11. Be a Multisensory Weekend Explorer. In other words, look at your surroundings specifically to experience smells or tactile awareness or incredible visions. Express your findings creatively through art or discussion or movement.

12. Schedule a Weekend Drama Fest. Do a search for plays in your area or an area nearby. On some weekends, you could take in three or four shows from different companies. Or you may choose to go simply to one event and really study the context and the author and the performances within it.

13. Invite your neighbors to an Open House. Play games and have contests and awards for "The Wisest Neighbor" (for the eldest) "The Smallest Neighbor" (the youngest) "The Best Stocked Pantry Award" (for the one others borrow this and that from) to "The Most Artistic Garden" to "The Most Beautiful New Paint Job" to "The Newlyweds"or whatever you see fits your group.

14. Go camping! Borrow or pack up your supplies and venture to an unknown campground. For a couple days spend all of your time in the outdoors, simply settling into the natural setting.

15. Sign up for a Personal Growth Weekend. Try something you have not done in the past that you have wanted to experience. Looking forward to a brand new experience with completely new people. Try this one out!

16. Make a point to meet an on-line buddy who you have known for several years and never met. I have had some amazing friendships birthed through people I never would have met if it were not for being online. Meeting face to face makes the experience that much richer and more vital.

17. Spend a weekend immersed in the Visual Arts. Visit an Art Museum. Create art. Attend an Opening of an art exhibit. Meet an artist there and ask specific questions about his or her craft and how he or she got started as a professional artist.

18. Visit your nearest water front and really spend some time contemplating the vastness of the flow experience. Whether you go to the ocean or a river or a lake, ponder the connectivity between all bodies of water and between people who experience these bodies of water.

19. Attend a training seminar or study session that will bring you to your next level in your area of expertise. You know, the one you have been on the fence about. Sign up, attend, and create the absolute highest value for yourself.

20. Hold your own Science Fair. Find experiments you would like to do either by searching online or by visiting your local library. Arrange to do three or four experiments over two days. Go through all the stages and really engage in the process. Apply what you have learned about the science experience to what you can use in your everyday life.

All of these suggestions can be used to enrich your life this summer. You may choose to do one or two or do all 20 over the course of the rest of the year! They can be done over a weekend, in a single afternoon, or perhaps to cover a weeklong (or more) vacation.

Setting the intention to experience Personal Growth before you step into the summer will create the context for amazing leaps and bounds in your passion experience.

Grab your calendar and GROW!

Julie Jordan Scott is a Personal Success Coach, Radio Host and writer who partners with Passion Seekers so that they can make more money, have more time, better health and improved relationships. Free Passion Tools! http://www.5passions.com or to request your No Obligation Catalytic Coaching Session, click here ===>http://www.5passions.com/coachingreqform.html